# The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim post-release thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540 "2011-11-10T22:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/241 "2011-11-16T19:23:51Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > The only place I’ve looked at guide stuff is for the murder mystery quest in Windhelm, and it appears that my problem is that the quest is bugged - my current in-game quest objective is to talk to Jorlief (?) the Jarl’s dude for guidance. Oh yeah, I’m stuck on that one. I’m pretty certain it’s a bug…hopefully the next patch cleans it up along with some of the other errors like the invisible horse. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/242 "2011-11-16T19:29:59Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Gorsnak, did you talk to both > > Viola something, and the trinket salesman? In the locked house, you should find a locket, a secret room full of corpses, and a bunch of flyers. When I did it, according to the wiki I was supposed to investigate the body once I had permission, then talk to the Arkay priest and get more info that helps me find the house. I somehow missed all that because I wandered too close to the house but it worked out okay. I’m at the last part and can’t advance, but I’m not so sure it’s a bug as much as me being lost. I talked to the priest who mentioned a blood trail. I followed the blood trail to the house. Then I talked to the woman next door to get permission to go into the house, found the locket and two of the murderer’s journals. I talked to the House of Curiosity guy about the locket, which he said was the emblem of the court wizard or some such. Viola’s never talked to me, I never enter into actual dialogue when I click on her. I talked to the court wizard and looked through all his stuff, but there doesn’t seem to be an avenue to advance there. Oh, and somewhere early on I chatted with the woman in the House of the Dead who said the murder weapon was an embalming knife. Anyways, as I said, the current quest objective when I hover on the map marker is “talk to Jorlief” but when I do I don’t get any quest-related dialogue options. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/243 "2011-11-16T19:43:29Z")
Skyrim is great so far. Probably my biggest love is that the game world no longer freezes when you’re in dialog with someone. Also I LOVE the character models. Elves don’t look like puke-colored humans resembling Sloth from the Goonies anymore. My biggest complaint is that there seems to be less _stuff_, as in items you can pick up and take with you, then there was in Oblivion. I mean there are even barrels and boxes without inventories! Gasp! But that’s not really a HUGE deal I guess. Another complaint is, that in an effort to make side quests more easily accessible to players, there are prompts that don’t make sense. I’ll walk into a city for the first time and see a dude walking down the street and decide to talk to him. He’ll say “What’s up my main man?” and then, for no reason at all, my character will have the option to ask “What’s going on between you and Ricky Small-Eyes?” My character hasn’t met either this guy or his rival yet he can randomly offer to solve a problem he shouldn’t have even known existed? Only a minor issue I guess but it does bug me. And it happens _a lot_. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/244 "2011-11-16T19:47:26Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > I talked to the priest who mentioned a blood trail. I followed the blood trail to the house. Then I talked to the woman next door to get permission to go into the house, found the locket and two of the murderer’s journals. I talked to the House of Curiosity guy about the locket, which he said was the emblem of the court wizard or some such. Viola’s never talked to me, I never enter into actual dialogue when I click on her. I talked to the court wizard and looked through all his stuff, but there doesn’t seem to be an avenue to advance there. Oh, and somewhere early on I chatted with the woman in the House of the Dead who said the murder weapon was an embalming knife. Anyways, as I said, the current quest objective when I hover on the map marker is “talk to Jorlief” but when I do I don’t get any quest-related dialogue options. The Jorlief prompt lasts forever for me, I believe, even after I did a bunch. Perhaps because you will be coming back to him, or else it’s a bug. Try TAKING one of Viola’s flyers, and then talking to her. Or I remember someone pointing me in her direction. A guard maybe? > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I’ll walk into a city for the first time and see a dude walking down the street and decide to talk to him. He’ll say “What’s up my main man?” and then, for no reason at all, my character will have the option to ask “What’s going on between you and Ricky Small-Eyes?” My character hasn’t met either this guy or his rival yet he can randomly offer to solve a problem he shouldn’t have even known existed? Only a minor issue I guess but it does bug me. And it happens _a lot_. That’s an annoyance, not quite as bad as the menus/conversation, but annoying. I think it’s supposed to trigger when you witness a conversation between two people, but if you wander in the right area and then wander out, you might personally miss the information, but the game marks you as hearing it. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/245 "2011-11-16T19:50:35Z")
[QUOTE=Duke] This might be a very subjective question, but is it at all feasible to try to play spoiler-free like I’m trying to? It seems to me that Skyrim is almost set up in places to make people want to look at spoilers (or, more likely, to buy the game guide), especially with the dungeon puzzles. I know it would be a lot easier to play with spoilers, but, hey, I like to play like a real adventurer and life doesn’t come with a game guide! [/QUOTE] I’ve pretty much played spoiler-free so far…the one question I asked about a puzzle in game was only answered long after I had figured it out for myself (I ended up having to go back to the area later on, since I had moved on before I got the appropriate dragon shout that solves the problem). I put in the link I did in case someone wants to look at some of the stuff they have there, since I was cruising around looking for reviews. About the only spoiler I looked at there was the prices of houses you could get…none of which I can afford anyway (I’ll probably wait for a good mod later on for a castle or keep of my own). So far all of the in dungeon puzzles have been solve-able with, at most, a bit of looking around and thinking. -XT ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/246 "2011-11-16T20:04:49Z")
That’s it! I’m done with this POS crap game! You want to know what the last straw was? When I walked into Morthal, and after being there for, oh I don’t know, an hour IRL, I noticed that the damn water wheel on the mill was rotating clockwise - AGAINST THE QUITE OBVIOUS CURRENT!! Forget it, if the game designers can’t even have a simple water wheel rotating in the proper anti-clockwise direction like it should have been, then by God I won’t be spending another 400 hours investing in this game. Of course, I’m totally kidding. This is the best game EVAR, and the fact that my only complaint has to do with a totally meaningless piece of background that wouldn’t matter or even be noticeable were it not for the absolutely stunning artwork, should tell you something. ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/247 "2011-11-16T20:07:56Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Anyone seen the Headless Horseman riding the roads of Skyrim at night? Saw him just west of Whiterun. Dunno if he’s an easter egg or quest related. I saw that guy!! Don’t remember where I was. When he went past, I saw the dialog option flash up for a fraction of a second, but of course I wasn’t fast enough to engage him, and then I couldn’t catch up to him on foot. Guess I’ll be filing that one away in the WTH file for now. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/248 "2011-11-16T20:58:55Z")
> [@rpinrd](#): > > That’s it! I’m done with this POS crap game! You want to know what the last straw was? When I walked into Morthal, and after being there for, oh I don’t know, an hour IRL, I noticed that the damn water wheel on the mill was rotating clockwise - AGAINST THE QUITE OBVIOUS CURRENT!! A Wizard did it! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/249 "2011-11-16T21:09:29Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Whenever I try to enchant it seems to _reduce_ the effectiveness of my smithing-improved items. Is that because I’m using shitty gems and have a very low enchant skill (my guy is totally focused on stealth and archery) or does enchanting an improved item remove its “fine” status? No, enchant does not upgrade an item to “fine” status. What I was doing was making an item at the blacksmith (like a dwarven bow), upgrading it at the grindstone (dwarven bow just needs an additional dwarf iron ingot) or workbench (for armor), and then enchanting that item. IIRC, there is a talent you need to invest in to be able to upgrade an enchanted item to “fine” status (I don’t recall which skill tree it’s in). So upgrade first, then enchant. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/250 "2011-11-16T21:23:52Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Taking a look at the character builder [here](http://www.ign.com/builds/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim/create). It looks like a step forward for RPG character advancement systems! > > But how do you gain levels in order to put points into perks? Do you have to use a particular skill a certain number of times or something? I think it’s to gain 10 skill ups (points) of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/251 "2011-11-16T21:24:53Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > IIRC, there is a talent you need to invest in to be able to upgrade an enchanted item to “fine” status (I don’t recall which skill tree it’s in). So upgrade first, then enchant. It’s in the smithing perk tree, requires 60 smithing. Then it won’t matter what order you do things in. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/252 "2011-11-16T21:29:15Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > No, enchant does not upgrade an item to “fine” status. > > What I was doing was making an item at the blacksmith (like a dwarven bow), upgrading it at the grindstone (dwarven bow just needs an additional dwarf iron ingot) or workbench (for armor), and then enchanting that item. > > IIRC, there is a talent you need to invest in to be able to upgrade an enchanted item to “fine” status (I don’t recall which skill tree it’s in). So upgrade first, then enchant. Sorry. I just reread **AClockworkMelon** ’s quoted post. I have not seen a _reduction_ to the items quality when I enchant one of my masterwork (improved) items. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/253 "2011-11-16T21:30:20Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > It’s in the smithing perk tree, requires 60 smithing. Then it won’t matter what order you do things in. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/254 "2011-11-16T21:34:10Z")
Is there a trick to playing a dual-wielding character on the PC? I only seem to swing one weapon (depending on which mouse button I pushed) per mouse click. Do you have to press both buttons at the same time? When I run up against a dual-wielding NPC, they look totally bad-ass, and I’m smothered in a barrage of hits. Me want! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/255 "2011-11-16T21:40:52Z")
Yeah, looks like the Dual-wielding just means you can use the other mouse button to swing with the other weapon. It’s not clear that it’s effective to hit both at the same time, and frankly since there are no attacks of opportunity in this game, I generally find it more effective to use my bow in melee rather than try to figure out melee. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/256 "2011-11-16T21:49:15Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Sorry. I just reread **AClockworkMelon** ’s quoted post. > > I have not seen a _reduction_ to the items quality when I enchant one of my masterwork (improved) items. It did for me. I had some fine leather boots with like an 11 armor rating and when previewing an echantment (I think it was like a +10 magicka enchantment - I didn’t actually go through with it) it dropped the armor rating to 8 or so. ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/257 "2011-11-16T22:00:09Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > A Wizard did it! Perhaps you’re on to something. Maybe it’s a MAGICAL mill where split logs are reassembled into whole trees!!! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/258 "2011-11-16T22:09:28Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > It did for me. I had some fine leather boots with like an 11 armor rating and when previewing an echantment (I think it was like a +10 magicka enchantment - I didn’t actually go through with it) it dropped the armor rating to 8 or so. On the PC version? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/259 "2011-11-16T23:14:26Z")
On the Blood on the Ice Quest: [spoiler]I got a conclusion, though I still have my suspicions. The fact that the quest marker points one way, but you actually need to follow a blood trail someplace else is tricky. The quest marker itself is a red herring. But if you’re doing this at night, the blood trail just looks dark. But eventually I traced a series of mostly black splashes to a house. I went to the lady and got her key, rather than just letting myself in, because I was in full Columbo mode. It was a neat trick how the light through the window kept putting a startling shadow of Lydia up on the wall while I was looking around for clues. Anyway, I found the diaries, the back room, and the amulet. The Muckety-muck in the castle says I should speak to some antequarian at his shop, and also some lady. I found the lady first, and it ended up that while talking to her I jumped to the wild conclusion that the court mage was guilty. Well, the other quest marker disappeared, and that doesn’t happen for red herrings, right? But when I went to talk to the king’s dogsbody, he went and arrested the court mage. I followed the scripted event in the upper level, with my bow ready to strike down the necromancer in mid-summoning. But he blathered his innocence and then simply submitted to arrest. At this point, my narrative sense was tingling. I had the wrong guy. I did a bit of checking online just enough to know there would be another murder if I let it go like that. So, I reloaded, researched the house (still no idea why the chair on the bed was supposed to be a clue) and this time when I went to talk to people, I went to the curios guy first. He said the amulet I found in the murder house belonged to the court mage. He offerred to pay me 500 zorkmids for it. Hmmm, I see. Anyway, I did not take the guy’s tour. But I then talked to the distraught lady, and now it made sense that I suddenly accused the court mage. Now, instead of running to Jar-jar, I went to talk to the court mage, who did some Numb3rs bullshit and concluded that the next murder would take place in a neighborhood called ‘Stone District’ or something, though I couldn’t find any neighborhood names anywhere. Supposedly, I was meant to patrol at night, but I was wandering around a market in broad daylight when a lady started screaming, and she was being attacked by the Captain Curio, who thereupon suddenly died of poison-arrow-in-ass disease. I found his body, returned to his shop, and there I found his evil diary. I gave the info to Jergins and he said thanks and the guards will now be less surly to me. But… I don’t know. It still feels like I might have missed something, because the guy attacking suddenly in the middle of the market doesn’t make sense, with the details in the other evil diaries about him stalking much more cautiously. This guy might have been set up. Or, maybe the quest is bugged.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540/260 "2011-11-17T00:13:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Seems like alchemy is a print-money skill in this game. Alchemy, enchanting, smithing… making money in this game is easy. Sadly, there doesn’t really seem to be much of a reason to bother as there isn’t much to spend it on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-post-release-thread/602540.md?page=14)